A Dublin-based businessman charging up to €120 per hour for padel and pickleball coaching sent “intimidating and threatening” text messages to a coach during a dispute over unpaid wages, a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication has found.

William McGlade, founder and sole director of House of Padel in Tallaght, Dublin 24, was criticised for his conduct after failing to attend a WRC hearing relating to a complaint brought by former coach Andrés Martínez-Cuquerella.

Coach Let Go After Eight Weeks Due to Low Demand

Mr Martínez-Cuquerella joined the padel and pickleball centre in January as a highly experienced coach and remained in the role for approximately eight weeks. The tribunal heard that his employment ended in March, seemingly because there was insufficient coaching demand to sustain his position.

Under the terms of his employment, the coach received a base rate of €14 per hour for a 40-hour on-site week, with an additional €30 per hour for coaching sessions. Customers, meanwhile, were charged €120 per hour for lessons delivered at the facility.

WRC Finds Evidence of Unpaid Wages and Notice

Following the termination of his employment, Mr Martínez-Cuquerella claimed he was not paid all wages owed to him. These included €224 in public holiday pay, €336 for three days of accrued annual leave, and a €16 underpayment relating to one hour of coaching.

Adjudication officer Penelope McGrath noted that Mr McGlade failed to engage with the WRC at any stage and did not attend the hearing in October. As a result, the complainant’s evidence was treated as unchallenged.

Ms McGrath also found that the coach was entitled to two weeks’ pay in lieu of notice due to the immediate nature of his dismissal.

Text Messages Described as “Out of Order”

During the proceedings, text messages sent by Mr McGlade to the coach were opened to the tribunal. In her written decision, Ms McGrath described the messages as “heavy-handed, intimidating and threatening in tone.”

One message stated that the director would make it his “mission” to inform future employers that the coach had lied and manipulated his worth. Another warned the coach that he was “going about this the wrong way” if he wished to continue coaching in Ireland.

The WRC upheld the complaint under the Payment of Wages Act 1991 and directed 5 Star Stay Ltd, trading as House of Padel, to pay Mr Martínez-Cuquerella €1,876 in redress.